Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi

This is the follow-up effort to Satrapi’s previous two graphic novels- Persepolis and Persepolis 2. I originally fell in love with the thoughtful Persepolis series after listening to an interview with Satrapi on NPR. Her coming of age story told in pictures is well done and engaging. It looks at femininity in Iran, and both the good and the bad things that go along with it. Most importantly, it works hard to break the stereotypes of the Iranian culture that we are limited to by our own media.

There is an argument in the literary world about whether those who read graphic novels, baseball statistics, and comic books are “readers”. Using Satrapi’s work as a barometer, I offer a resounding “yes!”. As long as a child (or adult) is reading something, they are building comprehension skills, and gaining new perspectives. Satrapi’s efforts in dispelling stereotypes may be able to go further than most traditional “reads”, as they will likely engage traditional and non-traditional readers alike.

With that said, Embroideries looks at the sexuality of a family of Iranian women. It takes place during an afternoon of tea at Marjane’s grandmother’s home. Each woman has the chance to tell her own story of love and sex and how the two have caused her to grow and change. They tell stories of daring and intrigue, and even sex before marriage. We also learn exactly what an ‘embroidery’ is along the way!

The commentary on this book is pretty polarized. Most people love it or hate it. I liked it- I thought the artwork was not as good as her previous work. However, the subject matter was something new which we don’t often get to see. I will continue to look forward to Satrapi’s writing and art, and to see how our culture grows and changes as a result of it.